General Motors Company (GM): A Future Look at the Connected Automobile

Caveat
Of course, this evolution of connected cars comes with caveats. Can you imagine big data or advertising companies drooling to get the information your car has learned about you — what music you like, what news you watch, what vehicle you drive, and what consumer goods you purchase? Perhaps hackers out there are loving the idea of this new, potentially unprotected, technology and information.

Bottom line
Right now, we can’t know what a fully connected vehicle might bring. We can only build the pipeline and innovate as we go to better understand its full potential. Would you hypothetically pay $500 for the premium option and $15-$20 extra per month in the package deal you already have with Internet, phone, and cable for your vehicle to be connected with the outside world? Some undoubtedly would today, and a lot more will as the years progress.

This is something that has the potential to revolutionize the auto industry in terms of technology, as well as company margins and profits. It could turn our vehicles into an extension of our identity and culture — more so than they already are. At the very least, it represents a completely new revenue stream for Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), and other automakers — as well as companies like Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE:S) or AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).

Buckle up. I think it’s about to be a wild ride.

The article A Future Look at the Connected Automobile originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Daniel Miller owns shares of Apple, Ford, and General Motors. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Ford, General Motors, Google, and Intel and owns shares of Apple, Ford, Google, Intel, and IBM.

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